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Early Childhood Nerdwork

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Liberated Learning LL009 Care and CooperationLL009 Care and Cooperation When we focus on our community of children and educators rather than each child as an isolated individual, we find an infinite number of ways children show up as a helper, speaking up for themselves and speaking up for others. Too often, the culture of early childhood education tries to foster “self-help skills” with the goal of independence. But most children show their “self-help” skills more readily when they use them to help others. In addition, when we foster care and cooperation in our early childhood communities, we foster cohesion as a group and a sense of agency a...

2026-03-0224 min

Liberated Learning LL008 Diversity Even In HomogenyLiberated Educator Job # 1: Make it normal for each child to appreciate every other child. Create a space where everybody understands that everybody is different. Even in a homogenous space, everyone brings a different cultural context because culture is multi-faceted. What if every child in a room that looks the same still saw their unique culture, identity, and experience as something to be celebrated — not just tolerated? Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ Theme music b...

2026-02-2321 min

Liberated Learning LL007 Boys II MenWhat if we've been moralizing play in ways that quietly shape who gets to hold power later? What if we let children play the way they want to play? What if let each child learn about themselves by trying out multiple ways to play and ultimately, multiple ways to be in the world? Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

2026-02-1619 min

Liberated Learning LL006 Play is Play There are so many neurotypical assumptions in the field of early childhood that cause many of us to see neurodivergent children through a deficit lens. Kisa and Mike wonder what would happen if we viewed these same children with a lens of curiosity and celebration. Some children may play differently than most children, but play is play. Mike references the article Including Autism: Confronting Inequitable Practices in a Toddler Classroom by Emmanuelle N. Fincham and Amanda R. Fellner https://educate.bankstreet.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1307&context=occasional-paper-series You can hear Mike and Heather Bernt-Sa...

2026-02-0924 min

Liberated Learning LL005 Cultural CuriosityPeople of the global majority have to work twice as hard to be twice as good. Kisa shares how she can face people questioning her expertise and --to no surprise—Mike shares that he hasn’t been questioned in the same way even when someone disagrees with him. Kisa and Mike dig deep into cultural curiosity, expertise, and what it feels like to navigate learning spaces where your humanity is always up for debate. Tune in—and when you’re done, talk about it with your people. *Mike references Playing with Nature: Supporting Preschoolers’ Creativity in Natural Outdoor Cla...

2026-02-0224 min

Liberated Learning LL004 Multiple Things Can Be TrueHaving all the answers is a Eurocentric idea that is woven into the educational system. But we are better served with curiosity. When children play, they actively construct their knowledge. We should bring that same curiosity when working with children. Another shortcoming of the idea of having all the answers is that each of us sees the world through are unique cultural lens. Just because you have an answer doesn’t mean it is the same answer as someone else. In the spirit of curiosity, Mike and Kisa share some of their own cultural identities and experiences that shape the wa...

2026-01-2625 min

Liberated Learning LL003 What Has Value?Kisa and Mike reflect on the view of educators as people who bestow skills and knowledge on children and find it to be a dehumanizing practice. This practice creates a barrier to authentic relationships between everyone in the learning community, children and adults. This is especially true for the flibbertigibbets of the world who can be seen as a problem to solve rather than person to celebrate. Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ Theme music by John's Bla...

2026-01-1923 min

Liberated Learning LL002 Finding Our Way to LiberationKisa starts with a story about a child bringing a big stick back from the park, but the conversation quickly pivots to the nature of freedom and exercising power over, for and with others. Later, Kisa says that she prefers taking the back roads rather than the highway. This conversation is proof. Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

2026-01-1221 min

Liberated Learning LL001 The Conversation BeginsKisa and Mike like to talk. In this first episode, you can listen in as they reflect on their journeys with young children. Unsurprisingly, the conversation starts with a reflection on words because changing the words you use, changes how you think about things and even, what you do. Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/ Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

2026-01-0515 min

That Early Childhood Nerd

That Early Childhood Nerd NERD_0392 The Hyper Focus on School Readiness with Dr Dale FarranIMPORTANT REMINDER! After this episode, That Early Childhood Nerd will be published by Heather and the Early Childhood Nerdwork instead of Explorations Early Learning. If you have subscribed to the show on iTunes or Spotify, you’ll have to find the new feed for the show and resubscribe. Just search That Early Childhood Nerd, and find the new feed! Host Heather Bernt-Santy knew as soon as she read the Defending the Early Years blog post, “How Did Early Childhood Programs Become So Focused on School Readiness Skills” by Dr Dale Farran–she HAD to invite Dr Farra...

2025-12-1236 min